Missouri State Parks - hikinghttp://mostateparks.com/blog/tags/hiking
enGeese, grass and ghosts of the past: Van Meter State Parkhttp://mostateparks.com/blog/state-parks-stories/59544/geese-grass-and-ghosts-past-van-meter-state-park
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>By Tom Uhlenbrock</p><div class="gd_p">Missouri State Parks</div><div class="gd_p">MIAMI, Mo. – Wave after wave of migrating waterfowl moved in V formations across the winter sky on this late afternoon. The landscape below of marsh, wet prairie and forest known as the Oumessourit Natural Area was filled with the cries of Canada geese, snow geese and ducks. A bald eagle watched the parade from a tree top near its nest.<br />The Native Americans had first pick, and it’s easy to see why they settled in this area of rich river valley bordered by high hills known locally as the Pinnacles.<br />The natural area is a reminder of what the floodplain of the Missouri looked like before the river was channelized and constricted by levees. It is part of Van Meter State Park, which was created 80 years ago to preserve a village site inhabited by the people who gave the river, and state, its name.</div><div class="gd_p">Some five centuries ago, a prehistoric culture called the Oneota by archaeologists built a village of lodges and an earthen structure known as the Old Fort on the bluff looking down on the wetlands. Their descendants were living closer to the river in 1673 when Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet arrived at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi.</div><div class="gd_p"><img alt="" class="media-image floatLeft" height="170" width="300" typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://mostateparks.com/sites/default/files/styles/park_page_foot_img/public/wysiwyg_imageupload/12/SP-VANMETER-002.jpg?itok=SyGH-z_f" title="" /></div><div class="gd_p">The French explorers recorded the names of the tribes living upriver on the Missouri. Near a bend on the Missouri where the Grand River enters, they were told the tribe living there was the Oumessourit, which meant “people of the big canoes.” The name evolved into Missouria for the tribe, and to Missouri for the river and state.</div><div class="gd_p">The river valley was the land of plenty for the Missouria. They gathered roots and seeds, hunted small game and fished for sunfish, catfish and suckers. Bones found at their village site came from animals of the marsh – otter, beaver, turtle, muskrat, deer, fish and trumpeter swan. They grew corn, beans and squash, and used rushes and cattails for roof thatching in their village of some 5,000 people.<br /><br />But the Europeans brought smallpox and other diseases that quickly decimated the native peoples. In decline, the Missouria moved upriver to live with the Otoes in Nebraska. When Lewis and Clark came in 1803, there were some 300 Missouria surviving. In 1829, there were 80. The last full-blooded Missouria died in 1908.</div><div class="gd_p"><br />At the time of the expedition, nine tribes lived on land that became the state of Missouri – Delaware, Ioway, Kanza, Kickapoo, Osage, Illini-Peoria, Sac and Fox, Shawnee and Otoe-Missouria.</div><div class="gd_p"><br />Today, those tribes have been scattered by the arrival of the white man, with many relocated to reservations in Kansas and Oklahoma. Van Meter State Park is home to Missouri’s American Indian Cultural Center, which seeks not only to preserve the history of those nine tribes, but to bring back living members to explain and share their heritage.</div><div class="gd_p"><br />“We went to all the reservations, or tribal headquarters, and asked the tribes to come back and tell their stories,” said Connie Grisier, historic site specialist for the park. “We’ve had representatives from all nine – they’ve sent pottery artists, flutists, drummers and dancers. We had each tribe assign an artist to paint something symbolic on a bison hide. The Delaware have been very supportive, they carved a lodge pole. Louis Burns, an Osage, donated his dance regalia.</div><div class="gd_p"><img alt="" class="media-image floatRight" height="170" width="300" typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://mostateparks.com/sites/default/files/styles/park_page_foot_img/public/wysiwyg_imageupload/12/SP-VANMETER-003.jpg?itok=0q-os_AD" title="" /></div><div class="gd_p">“The misnomer is the Indians have vanished, and they have not. “</div><div class="gd_p"><br />A birthday party</div><div class="gd_p"><br />Created in 2005 from a federal grant as part of the Lewis and Clark commemoration, the American Indian Cultural Center adopted as its logo the drawing of an eagle or hawk found on an engraved catlinite tablet discovered in 1936 near the park. Called the Utz Tablet for the farmer who found it while plowing, the engravings are believed to be the work of the Oneota.</div><div class="gd_p"><br />A reproduction of the tablet is among the exhibits inside the center’s two display rooms.</div><div class="gd_p"><br />“We are not a museum, although we have four cases of artifacts from the Missouria village site,” said Grisier, the site specialist. “As a cultural center, we are trying to portray not only the historic tribes, but where they are today.”</div><div class="gd_p"><br />The first room has a display that represents William Clark’s office and reprints of maps from the early 1800s that showed the locations of North America’s Indian tribes. “I love this one,” Grisier said of one of the early maps. “It says, ‘Wandering Indians and Maneaters’.”</div><div class="gd_p">The main room has a firepit in the center and surrounding walls hung with poster-sized reproductions of paintings by the first artists to document the Native Americans. Included are portraits of tribal chiefs by Karl Bodmer, George Catlin and Charles Bird King, whose paintings are part of the McKinney and Hall Collection.</div><div class="gd_p"><br />A hide stretched under a bison head displays the symbols painted for the cultural center by representatives of the nine tribes. A replica of a Missouria lodge is filled with tools, foods and hides. A mannequin wears the Osage dance regalia, from the deer roach on the head to the beaded moccasins on the feet. The contemporary art includes a war club by Delaware artist Mike Watkins with a face carved on the wood ball.</div><div class="gd_p">The center has an eight-minute video that explains the site’s history, and audio wands are available that give the histories of the various tribes as you walk through the exhibits.</div><div class="gd_p"><br />“We’re celebrating the 80th anniversary of the founding of Van Meter at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 15,” Grisier said. “ We’ll have a cake, and a public meeting.”</div><div class="gd_p"><br />A startling cry</div><div class="gd_p"><br />Annie Vanmeter (the original spelling) donated some 369 acres to the state in 1932 in honor of her husband, Abel, a wealthy farmer. The land became the core of the park, which has been expanded over the years to 1,105 acres. The park has a shaded campground with 22 camping sites, restrooms and a showerhouse. Two stone-and-wood picnic shelters built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps can be reserved for group picnics.</div><div class="gd_p"><br />Trails lead to the park’s features, including a short hike to the walled Vanmeter cemetery on a hillside.</div><div class="gd_p"><br />One of the steep ravines in the park was impounded to create an 18-acre fishing lake that is stocked by the Missouri Department of Conservation. The Lakeview Trail follows the west shore of the lake for a little more than a half mile, and the Loess Hills Trail circles the lake for two miles.</div><div class="gd_p">The Missouri River Overlook trail is a short walk to a clearing in the forest where visitors can see the vast floodplain, including the nearby Grand Pass Conservation Area.</div><div class="gd_p"><br />A .75-mile trail leads visitors to three boardwalks of steel grating that extend into the wetlands of the 300-acre Oumessourit Natural Area. One of the boardwalks is a loop that goes by an active eagle nest.</div><div class="gd_p">The 1.4-mile Earthworks Trail heads through the mature woods to the site of the Old Fort, which has been softened by age but is still identifiable by its contours in a clearing of trees. Because the fort did not have wood palisades, it may have been used for ceremonial, rather than defensive, purposes.</div><div class="gd_p"><br />Nearby are three burial mounds, covered by golden grasses. Walking through the grasses on top of one of the mounds, the silence of the warm winter afternoon was broken by the startling cry of what sounded like the whoop of a mounted warrior.</div><div class="gd_p"><br />It came again, overhead, as a pair of snow geese flew up out of the river valley, cresting the top of the bluff.</div><div class="gd_p"><br />For more information on Van Meter State Park, call (660) 886-7537 or visit <a href="http://mostateparks.com" target="_blank">mostateparks.com</a> .</div></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-7 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix">
<div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div>
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/hiking" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">hiking</a></div>
<div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/van-meter-state-park" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Van Meter State Park</a></div>
</div>
</div>
Wed, 04 Apr 2012 19:42:38 +0000judd.slivka59544 at http://mostateparks.comWhere's a great, not-so-challenging place to hike if I live in Rolla?http://mostateparks.com/blog/tips-experts/58939/wheres-great-not-so-challenging-place-hike-if-i-live-rolla
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><div dir="ltr">Last week, Carrie Bellue asked us this on our Facebook page:</div><div dir="ltr"><em>I'm in south central missouri near rolla, and
new to the state. I love nature but don't know where to start
exploring. I'm in my 50s so I'm NOT looking for a backpack trip or
anything too strenuous. Give me a day trip assignment...where's a good
place to begin????</em></div><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">We asked some of the folks who adminster parks in that area for their very best recommendation. Here's what they came up with: Montauk State Park, which is about 50 miles from Rolla has a nice 1/2 mile
trail called the Montauk Lake Hike. The trail circles a small lake with catch
and release for trout. Bluff Spring feeds the lake. One can see wild life out
and about along the trail. Montauk also provides peaceful fishing along the
headwaters of the Current River which is stocked daily with trout. The park also
offers lots of goodies in the retail store and a full service
restaurant.</span></p><p dir="ltr"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-7 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix">
<div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div>
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/hiking" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">hiking</a></div>
<div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/montauk-state-park" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Montauk State Park</a></div>
<div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/trails" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">trails</a></div>
</div>
</div>
Tue, 12 Jul 2011 11:58:15 +0000judd.slivka58939 at http://mostateparks.comFall's fallen, but it brings better views when hikinghttp://mostateparks.com/blog/state-parks-stories/31172/falls-fallen-it-brings-better-views-when-hiking
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. – The pines really do whisper.</p>
<p>With the slightest breeze, hikers on the Whispering Pines Trail at <a href="/park/hawn-state-park">Hawn State Park</a> can hear the murmuring of the tall trees while walking on the path softened by fallen needles.</p>
<p>“We have one of the largest shortleaf pine stands in the state park system,” said Ed Schott, park superintendent for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. “That’s a big draw for a lot of people.”</p>
<p>The arrival of fall does more than color the landscape for outdoor enthusiasts in Missouri ­­­­­-- autumn also signals the start of hiking season. Pesky insects disappear after the first frost. Leaves begin to fall with the coming of winter, allowing a better view of the wildlife and rock formations.</p>
<p>Hiking lasts into spring, when the woodland wildflowers awaken. When summer heats things up, nature viewing is best done from a float trip on one of the state’s cold, clear Ozark streams.</p>
<p>Fall is not only the prettiest season at <a href="/park/hawn-state-park">Hawn</a>, Schott said. It also is the busiest. Reserved camping sites fill up months in advance.</p>
<p>“After a good cold front, when ticks and chiggers are down, and color is looking good, the phone starts ringing,” Schott said. “A lot of people don’t realize how nice it is to hike here in the winter. You get a lot of ice sculptures – really big icicles – on the sandstone bluffs.”</p>
<p>The 10-mile Whispering Pines Trail is considered one of the best in the state for hiking and backpacking. That’s where I headed on a sunny fall day that was warm enough to consider a dip in Pickle Creek, which runs along the trail’s north loop.</p>
<p>The south loop follows the River Aux Vases, a stream that on a fall walk was a mosaic of red, yellow and brown floating leaves. Although the trail is popular, hikers can have it all to themselves on weekdays. Both loops are in the Whispering Pines Wild Area.</p>
<p>“The trail goes along the bluffs above Pickle Creek through Lamotte sandstone formations, then down along the creek through pines and oaks,” Schott said. “It has some elevation changes up about 150 feet to sandstone knobs that have really outstanding views of the park and surrounding area.</p>
<p>“The south loop is more remote. It’s managed for wilderness solitude and natural processes. There are very few signs of humans back there.”</p>
<p>The trail has three connectors that can either shorten or lengthen the hike. E-mail the park at <a href="mailto:hawn.state.park@dnr.mo.gov">hawn.state.park@dnr.mo.gov</a> and Schott will send you back a trail map. If you don’t want a long hike, you can merely explore the pools and chutes of Pickle Creek.</p>
<p>“If people want to go out for a couple of days, they can take a connector to the White Oaks Trail,” Schott said. “You can hike 15 to 17 miles without repeating the same trail.”</p>
<h4><strong>Beautiful waterfalls</strong></h4>
<p>Most state parks have a selection of trails.</p>
<p>At <a href="/park/bennett-spring-state-park">Bennett Spring</a>, a popular trout-fishing park near Lebanon, you can warm up with a short hike that follows the spring flow as it feeds into the Niangua River. The leisurely tree-lined walk looks down on the pink-sided rainbow trout treading water in the reeds, ignoring the fly fishermen wading along the opposite bank.</p>
<p>The park also has the Savanna Ridge Trail, a 2.5-mile hike that loops along an open woodland. The park’s most challenging hike is the 7.5-mile Natural Tunnel Trail that leads to a huge open-ended cave that you can walk all the way through.</p>
<p>Some state historic sites also offer hikes.</p>
<p>At <a href="/park/battle-athens-state-historic-site">Battle of Athens State Historic Site</a>, in the far northeast corner of the state, the Snow Trillium Trail is a two-mile loop that offers bluff-top views of the Des Moines River Valley. The trail is named for the white wildflowers that carpet the shaded woods in spring.</p>
<p>Another of the state’s longer trails is at <a href="/park/sam-baker-state-park">Sam A. Baker State Park</a> in southeast Missouri. The 11-mile Mudlick Trail showcases the ancient beauty of the St. Francois Mountains, one of the oldest exposures of igneous rock in North America.</p>
<p>The trail begins in Big Creek Valley, named for a lovely Ozark stream perfect for wading, and climbs some 1,000 feet to the top of Mudlick Mountain. There are three hiking shelters, courtesy of the Civilian Conservation Corps.</p>
<p>“It’s mostly a wild area that you’re hiking through - steep and rugged in places, but well taken care of,” park naturalist Michelle Soenksen said of the trail. “We do have some old-growth virgin woods back in there. And Mudlick Hollow, in the spring, has beautiful waterfalls and dark green pools of water.”</p>
<h4><strong>No. 1 hike in Missouri</strong></h4>
<p>The state’s serious hikers are celebrating the reopening in October of one of the most gorgeous stretches of landscape in Missouri – the section of the Ozark Trail from <a href="/park/taum-sauk-mountain-state-park">Taum Sauk Mountain State Park</a> to <a href="/park/johnsons-shut-ins-state-park">Johnson’s Shut-ins State Park.</a></p>
<p>The 13-mile section had been closed for nearly five years because of the breach of the Taum Sauk Reservoir, which was followed by a severe wind storm that downed hundreds of trees.</p>
<p>A hiker can start at <a href="/park/taum-sauk-mountain-state-park">Taum Sauk Mountain</a>, the state’s highest point, walk by Mina Sauk Falls, the state’s tallest waterfall, and end at <a href="/park/johnsons-shut-ins-state-park">Johnson’s Shut-ins</a>, the state’s most popular swimming hole.</p>
<p>The Ozark Trail has some 300 miles of trail filled with hills and knobs, valleys cut by spring-fed streams, bluffs dotted with caves and glades and savannas filled with wildflowers and grasses.</p>
<p>But the <a href="/park/taum-sauk-mountain-state-park">Taum Sauk</a>-to-<a href="/park/johnsons-shut-ins-state-park">Johnson’s Shut-ins</a> section, which can be lengthened to 33 miles, is special. Here’s what the writer of the trail’s web page at <a href="http://www.ozarktrail.com/">www.ozarktrail.com</a> has to say:</p>
<p>“It’s hard to understate how great this section is. You have 1.5-billion-year old mountains, igneous glades, springs, grand vistas, odd rock formations, and a swimming hole filled with natural flumes.</p>
<p>“If this author could only hike one trail in Missouri, this would be his choice.”</p></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-7 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix">
<div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div>
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/johnson%E2%80%99s-shut-ins-state-park" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park</a></div>
<div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/bennett-spring-state-park" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Bennett Spring State Park</a></div>
<div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/hawn-state-park" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Hawn State Park</a></div>
<div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/hiking" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">hiking</a></div>
<div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/taum-sauk-mountain-state-park" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Taum Sauk Mountain State Park</a></div>
</div>
</div>
Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:41:04 +0000tom.uhlenbrock31172 at http://mostateparks.com10 great hikes for the fallhttp://mostateparks.com/blog/state-parks-stories/31171/10-great-hikes-fall
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>Fall is the start of hiking season in Missouri. Here are 10 great hikes, long and short.</p>
<ol><li>Whispering Pines Trail, Hawn State Park: One of the best hiking and backpacking trails in the state, the two loops follow Pickle Creek and the River Aux Vases by sandstone bluffs. Shortleaf pines combine with hardwoods to put on a glorious fall color show. In winter, the seeps in the bluffs form ice sculptures. 10 miles.</li>
<li>Mudlick Trail, Sam A. Baker State Park: Another popular long hike, the Mudlick goes through one of the most significant, undisturbed natural landscapes in Missouri. The trail begins in the Big Creek Valley, and climbs to the top of Mudlick Mountain. 11 miles.</li>
<li>The Ozark Trail through Taum Sauk and Johnson’s Shut-ins state parks: This rugged and scenic section of the trail crosses several mountains and streams, and features the state’s highest point and tallest waterfall. 13 to 33 miles.</li>
<li>Colosseum Trail, Ha Ha Tonka State Park: The short hike highlights the features of the karst geology, including a natural bridge and sinkhole. It climbs to the top of a ridge, with views of the spring and castle ruins. Seven-tenths of a mile.</li>
<li>Rocky Top Trail, Lake of the Ozarks State Park: The trail leads to one of the largest glades in the park, then heads through woodlands to a bluff offering a panoramic view of the Grand Glaize arm of the lake. 2 miles.</li>
<li>Devil’s Icebox Trail, Rock Bridge Memorial State Park: This short walk follows a boardwalk that takes visitors to the 63-foot-high natural tunnel known as the Rock Bridge, and to a double sinkhole entrance to Devil’s Icebox and Connor’s Cave. One-half mile.</li>
<li>Wilderness Trail, Meramec State Park: The long hike goes through upland forest with rocky glades and views of the river, especially when leaves are off the trees. There are eight backpacking camps. 8.5 miles.</li>
<li>Drover’s Trail, Prairie State Park: Named for the cowboys that once drove cattle across the prairie, the trail winds through the wildflowers and tall grasses to a hill that provides a sweeping view of the landscape. Look for the park’s bison herd. 3 miles.</li>
<li>River Scene Trail, Castlewood State Park: The trail may give the most bang for the buck of any in the state. It follows the edge of a bluff with commanding views of the Meramec River Valley, then descends through bottomland forest along the river. 3.25 miles.</li>
<li>Boardwalk Trail, Pershing State Park: The boardwalk leads visitors through bottomland forest, shrub swamps and marsh to a wood tower overlooking a rare remnant of wet prairie. A great way to explore the wetlands and wildlife. 1.5 miles</li></ol></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-7 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix">
<div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div>
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/hiking" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">hiking</a></div>
</div>
</div>
Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:40:48 +0000blogger131171 at http://mostateparks.comMore to Lake of the Ozarks than just the lakehttp://mostateparks.com/blog/state-parks-stories/31167/more-lake-ozarks-just-lake
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>KAISER, Mo. – Mention <a href="/park/lake-ozarks-state-park">Lake of the Ozarks State Park</a> and most people think of water. But they’re leaving out a whole lot of land.</p>
<p>“Something like17,600 acres – we’re the largest state park in Missouri,” said Cindy Hall, a naturalist with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. “We’re also one of the busiest; we have over a million visitors a year.”</p>
<p>Many of those visitors come because of the <a href="/park/lake-ozarks-state-park">Lake of the Ozarks</a>, which is a favorite for boating and fishing in the Midwest. The lake itself is owned by AmerenUE, with the state park wrapping around its Grand Glaize Arm.</p>
<p>The state park features two beaches and two marinas with boat launches and rentals, providing public access on a shoreline that is largely privately owned. “Those are busy, busy places on summer weekends,” Hall said.</p>
<p>The park creates something of an oasis for boaters and anglers seeking to escape the watery traffic jam on the lake’s main channel. Because it is a private lake, development was allowed along much of its shoreline on the main channel.</p>
<p>But the park property that borders the Grand Glaize Arm is largely free of condos and restaurants and resorts. Visitors can find a secluded, tree-lined cove, even on those crowded summer weekends.</p>
<p>“A lot of people like to come to this arm of the lake because it’s much quieter,” Hall said. “It’s become kind of a mecca.”</p>
<p>But the park has several features that have nothing to do with the water.</p>
<p>“A lot of people think the marinas and the beaches are the park, and there’s nothing else to it,” Hall said. “But anything you’ll find at other state parks, you’ll find at <a href="/park/lake-ozarks-state-park">Lake of the Ozarks</a>.”</p>
<h4><strong>Nice and quiet</strong></h4>
<p>The park has 12 designated trails covering some 50 miles for everyone’s interest -- hiking, backpacking, mountain biking and equestrian. Even boaters have a trail with the park system’s only aquatic trail – a series of buoys over 9.75 lake miles that allows visitors to discover the park’s woodlands, glades and geologic features by water. Along the way, a brochure explains the scenes, such as the swallows that inhabit the rocky ledges or the cedars that would invade the glades without periodic prescribed burns.</p>
<p>The Trail of the Four Winds is the park’s longest trail, taking hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders over 13.5 miles through woodlands with stunning views of the lake. For people who want to do the trail on horseback but don’t have a horse, the park’s stable can take care of that. Several shorter trails follow the shoreline.</p>
<p>Take the 2-mile Rocky Top Trail, which climbs to one of the park’s largest glades, then head through the woods to a cliff overlooking the lake. The view can be serene, with a single boat skimming the placid water.</p>
<p>“We get a lot of people looking for a good view of the lake, and I send them out on this one,” Hall said of the trail. “The wildflowers can be beautiful and you get to the bluff and look directly into the park – you don’t see any of the development.”</p>
<p>She added that most visitors think of the Ozarks as dense woods, and are surprised to find areas with widely spaced trees and grasses and wildflowers growing beneath. This landscape is preserved by fire management, mimicking what occurs in nature and historically, when American Indians and early settlers burned plots.</p>
<p>The park has more than 230 shaded campsites, ranging from primitive spots in the backcountry to those with electric hookups. Eight camper cabins offer rustic lodging by the water. There also are group camp sites constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The historic district along Highway 134 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of the beautiful stone work in the CCC-era buildings, bridges and dams.</p>
<p>“We have such a diverse user group – people with the big houseboats and people who have a tent way out in the middle of the park, and everything in between,” Hall said.</p>
<h4><strong>An Angel Shower</strong></h4>
<p>Ozark Caverns, another of the park’s features, showcases the geologic wonders found in southern Missouri’s karst topography, which is marked by a subterranean system of caves and fissures.</p>
<p>Visitors to the Caverns take lantern-light tours and learn about the soda straws, stalactites and other deposits, as well as about the species that range from the blind grotto salamander to four types of bats.</p>
<p>The Caverns most notable feature is Angel Shower, a continuous flow of water from a “showerhead” of stalactites to a crystalline basin eight feet below. “If people remember anything, it’s the Angel Shower,” Hall said.</p>
<p>The Division of State Parks has closed most of its wild caves as a protection against the spread of a disease called white-nose syndrome that is killing bats in several states. Ozark Caverns is one of four public tour caves that has remained open but staff are taking precautions to prevent the spread of the disease.</p>
<p>The visitor center at Ozark Caverns, where Hall has an office, is in a wooded setting near a restored fen and a spring-fed brook. The mile-long Coakley Hollow Trail begins at the center and meanders through one of the most ecologically diverse areas of the park.</p>
<p>“Even on the Fourth of July, when the lake goes crazy, the Ozark Caverns area is nice and peaceful,” Hall said. “We do programs to help people learn that there’s a little more to this park than just the lake.”</p></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-7 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix">
<div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div>
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/hiking" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">hiking</a></div>
<div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/angel-shower" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Angel Shower</a></div>
<div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/backpacking" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">backpacking</a></div>
<div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/boating" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">boating</a></div>
<div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/caves" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">caves</a></div>
<div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/civilian-conservation-corps" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Civilian Conservation Corps</a></div>
<div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/equestrain" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">equestrain</a></div>
<div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/grand-glaize" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Grand Glaize</a></div>
<div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/karst-topography" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">karst topography</a></div>
<div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/lake-ozarks" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Lake of the Ozarks</a></div>
<div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/mountain-biking" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">mountain biking</a></div>
<div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/ozark-caverns" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Ozark Caverns</a></div>
<div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/rocky-top-trail" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Rocky Top Trail</a></div>
<div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/trail-four-winds" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Trail of the Four Winds</a></div>
<div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/white-nose-syndrome" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">white-nose syndrome</a></div>
</div>
</div>
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:36:38 +0000tom.uhlenbrock31167 at http://mostateparks.comKaty's 20! http://mostateparks.com/blog/state-parks-stories/31153/katys-20
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>MCKITTRICK ­– Picking a favorite section of the <a href="/park/katy-trail-state-park">Katy Trail</a> presents a pleasant problem. With 225 miles of hiking and biking trail to choose from, where does someone start?</p>
<p>Here’s a vote for the 16.1 miles between McKittrick and Treloar, where much of the trail squeezes between the base of white limestone bluffs and the muddy Missouri River. In spring, Canada geese nesting on the rocky ledges crane their long necks to watch the riders below.</p>
<p>This year, the <a href="/park/katy-trail-state-park">Katy Trail</a> celebrates its 20<sup>th</sup> anniversary, which kicks off May 8 in Rocheport. The <a href="/park/katy-trail-state-park">Katy Trail</a> is not only the longest rail-to-trail conversion in the nation, drawing more than 300,000 visitors annually. It has a place in Missourians’ hearts.</p>
<p>The trail was only five miles long in April 1990 when its first section opened from Huntsdale to Rocheport.</p>
<p>Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad abandoned the flood-prone corridor in 1986, and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources began acquiring the property under the National Trail System Act, which allowed railroad lines to be “banked’ for possible future use. In the interim, they could be converted to recreational trails.</p>
<p>Sparked by a $2.2 million donation from the late Ted Jones and his wife, Pat, the state developed a 100-foot-wide park along the rail corridor, stretching from the historic town of St. Charles on the east to Clinton on the west.</p>
<p>The May 8 celebration at Rocheport will honor the trail’s pioneer backers, and the volunteers who keep it running. The event will feature a giant birthday cake, a short walk to the memorial honoring the Joneses and a ride 8.5 miles to McBaine.</p>
<p>“The anniversary is truly a milestone, not only for our state, but also the nation,” said Gov. Jay Nixon, an early supporter as attorney general. “As the longest rail-trail in the nation, the <a href="/park/katy-trail-state-park">Katy Trail</a> attracts bicyclists from all over the United States and the world.”</p>
<p>News of the 20<sup>th</sup> anniversary has increased interest in the annual Katy Trail Ride, which covers the whole route across Missouri’s mid-section and is marking its own 10<sup>th</sup> anniversary. The event, on June 21-25, is limited to 300 registered riders and as of May 4, had 267 signed up.</p>
<p>Participants cover some 50 miles a day, which is more than enough for a weekend biker.</p>
<h4><strong> A SLICE OF AMERICANA</strong></h4>
<p>The charm of the <a href="/park/katy-trail-state-park">Katy Trail</a> is its leisurely backdoor look into the bucolic Missouri countryside. The trail of packed chat rolls by fields of corn and soybeans and pastures dotted with black cattle. It crosses lazy creeks over rusty iron bridges and heads into bottomland forests that are noisy with bird songs.</p>
<p>Most of the towns along the way seem caught in a time warp since the last locomotive pulled out.</p>
<p>The general store at Mokane has a yellowed newspaper clip taped to it: the town’s population had hit 700 residents. Now, the population is down to 188 residents, not including the yellow Labrador snoozing the spring afternoon away in front of the Post Office.</p>
<p>The trail provides a slice of Americana, far from the fast-food joints and billboards of the interstates. Each of the 25 trailhead towns has a Katy Depot which explains the local history and describes the features of the section ahead. Markers point out stops made by the Lewis and Clark Expedition on its voyage up and down the Missouri.</p>
<p>The depots are welcome stops for those on the trail – and provide a peek into a different time in the <a href="/park/katy-trail-state-park">Katy Trail’s</a> life.</p>
<p>At the depot in Pilot Grove, for instance, is a note with the story of a Katy train that derailed in May of 1945. The train had 20 cars carrying 200,000 gallons of crude oil and two loaded with artillery shells.</p>
<p>The fire lasted two days and the barrage of bursting shells sent shrapnel half a mile away. The <em>Sedalia Democrat</em>,<em> </em>the depot exhibit notes, asked spectators to return the unexploded shells they took home as souvenirs.</p>
<p>And then there are the people, who give another peek into the trail’s past.</p>
<p>“I’m out here pert near every day, go about a mile,” 98-year-old Arvil Anders said while pushing his walker on the trail near Pilot Grove. “I used to ride the MKT railroad. That was a long, long time ago.”</p>
<h4><strong> A PARK FOR ALL LEVELS</strong></h4>
<p>I had ridden the trail from Sedalia to St. Charles after that 187-mile stretch opened 12 years ago. To celebrate the 20<sup>th</sup> anniversary, a return ride in late spring when the redbuds were still blooming covered some of my favorite sections.</p>
<p>But first I made a pit stop at Katy Trail Bike Rental in Defiance, the east end of the popular Defiance-to-Dutzow stretch through Missouri Wine Country. The shop has some 40 “hybrid” bikes for rent at $20 a day.</p>
<p>Almost any type of bicycle can be used on the trail, but on the hybrids, a rider sits more upright than on a regular mountain bike. That, and the padded wide seat with a shock absorber, makes for a comfortable cruise. The bikes are not for serious off roading, but are perfect for gravel trails such as the Katy.</p>
<p>Defiance has received federal funds to build a quarter-mile bike loop through town that will give riders better access to the two taverns, winery, B&amp;Bs and other attractions, said the shop’s owner, Robin White.</p>
<p>“Business is good, more people are staying close to home,” White said of her bike shop. “People are getting creative with using the trail for family vacations. It’s a state park, great for people of all levels.”</p>
<p>A test ride on the hybrid included a meeting with a red fox with a bushy tail that didn’t seem anxious to give up its spot on the trail. A later wildlife sighting was a tiny snapping turtle crossing to get to the farm pond on the other side.</p>
<h4><strong>GREASING THE RAILS</strong></h4>
<p>My first day on the trail began in Clifton City, and I noticed a welcome change from my last time through here: Heading east through Pilot Grove to Boonville, the trees had grown to form a graceful arch over much of the trail, creating a canopy that provided sun-dappled shade.</p>
<p>A maintenance worker was helping nature a little bit, said Dawn Fredrickson, the Katy coordinator for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Division of State Parks</p>
<p>“He’s an artist with his side-arm mower,” Frederickson said. “People comment all the time, ‘It’s like a boulevard.’”</p>
<p>The trail, because it follows a rail corridor, is mostly flat, but there is a gradual incline towards Boonville, until Lard Hill provides a reprieve and you coast the final mile into town and the Missouri River valley.</p>
<p>According to local lore, the hill is named for an incident in which a train hit a woman’s pig, and the railroad refused to fully compensate her. She greased the tracks with lard, causing the locomotives to spin their wheels, until the railroad paid up.</p>
<p>Boonville has a 1912 Mission-style depot with a museum in a bright green caboose, and is home to the historic Hotel Frederick, which has been restored to its former elegance and houses Glenn’s Café, a Cajun restaurant.</p>
<p>The town also recently won its battle to save the old Katy bridge, and has begun raising funds to develop it as a pedestrian link to the trail. The bridge was finished in 1932 and was the first vertical lift bridge that used counterweights.</p>
<p>“It’s an historic engineering site, and the most photographed thing in Boonville,” said Paula Shannon, who helped lead the fight to prevent the bridge’s demolition.</p>
<h4><strong>ALONE WITH NATURE</strong></h4>
<p>My final ride, from Mokane to Marthsasville, included an overnight at McKittrick, which is across the river from Hermann, a town that showcases the heritage of the German immigrants who began arriving in the 1830s.</p>
<p>Hermann’s new bridge has a lane for cyclists, and a dedicated lane is being added to the bridge at Jefferson City, offering Katy riders easier access to the state capitol. Also in the works later this year is a 13-mile extension from St. Charles to Machens, making the longest rail-trail even longer.</p>
<p>McKittrick boasted one of the trail’ s newest entrepreneurs, and one of its oldest.</p>
<p>Rich Lauer and his girlfriend, sculptor Joey Los, have rehabbed the 1905 mercantile store, which featured a vaudeville theater and dance hall on the second floor.</p>
<p>“We’ll have a B&amp;B upstairs but will leave the stage for entertainment events,” Lauer said. “Downstairs is a café that seats 20, and booths with art for sale. We want to encourage new artists to come out of their shell and give it a shot.”</p>
<p>Overlooking McKittrick is Meyer’s Hilltop Farm, a B&amp;B that is marking its own 20<sup>th</sup> anniversary.</p>
<p>“We didn’t know the trail was going in when we bought this place - that’s been a bonus,” said Maggie Meyer, who lives on the farm with her husband, Eldon, and a pair of miniature donkeys named Leon and Oscar.</p>
<p>“We get a lot of riders from Colorado -- they seem to be more health conscious – and Arizona,” she said. “We had a couple from Florida, but Florida people seem more interested in gold jewelry and dancing.”</p>
<p>I had the trail to myself on my last weekday ride, except for Mark Plumb, 47, a doctor from Milwaukee. Like so many people, Plumb used his trip on the Katy to decompress.</p>
<p>“I came down to spend three days on the trail,” he said. “I just wanted to get out and be in nature. I’ve been working too much lately.”</p></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-7 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix">
<div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div>
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/hiking" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">hiking</a></div>
<div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/biking" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biking</a></div>
<div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/katy-trail-state-park" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Katy Trail State Park</a></div>
</div>
</div>
Wed, 05 May 2010 12:59:45 +0000tom.uhlenbrock31153 at http://mostateparks.com10 tips for riding the Katyhttp://mostateparks.com/blog/state-parks-stories/31152/10-tips-riding-katy
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><ol><li>Choose the right length. Twenty to 30 miles is a good day ride for a weekend cyclist. Forty to 50 is for regular riders. Anything over that is for hardcore bikers.</li>
<li>The packed gravel of the Katy is fine for all bikes. A mountain bike is great, and the “hybrids” in which riders sit more upright on cushy seats are comfortable.</li>
<li>A helmet is recommended whenever riding a bicycle. However, it is not required on the Katy.
<li>The Katy is busy on pretty weekends during the spring, summer and fall near the popular trailheads such as St. Charles, Defiance, Rocheport and Sedalia. Ride during the week and you’ll have the trail to yourself.</li>
<li>The east end near St. Charles has the best shops, the Defiance-to-Dutzow stretch runs through Missouri’s wine country, the McKittrick-to-Treloar run has the best river scenery and Sedalia has the best depot.</li>
<li>The Katy is family-friendly, an easy ride for the smallest of children. The biggest hazard would be not paying attention and running off the side into the brush.</li>
<li>If you want to share information with, or ask questions of, Katy Trail riders, visit <a href="http://www.bikekatytrail.com/">www.bikekatytrail.com</a>.</li>
<li>Two great restaurants on the Katy Trail are Abigail’s at Rocheport and Glenn’s Café at Boonville.</li>
<li>The Katy Trail is great for wildlife watching. You may see bald eagles, turkey vultures, Canada geese, red foxes, fox squirrels, turtles, black snakes and a variety of songbirds. All wildlife is protected, leave it alone.</li>
<li>The trail has redbuds, dogwoods and woodland wildflowers in the spring, and summer brings an array of sunflowers. The trail is ablaze in color each autumn.</li></ol></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-7 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix">
<div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div>
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/hiking" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">hiking</a></div>
<div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/biking" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">biking</a></div>
<div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/katy-trail-state-park" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Katy Trail State Park</a></div>
</div>
</div>
Wed, 05 May 2010 12:59:18 +0000blogger131152 at http://mostateparks.com5 years later: Johnson's Shut-Inshttp://mostateparks.com/blog/state-parks-stories/31150/5-years-later-johnsons-shut-ins
<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden">
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>MIDDLEBROOK – A billion years of erosion sculpted the beauty that made <a href="/park/johnsons-shut-ins-state-park">Johnson’s Shut-Ins</a> a popular state park. A manmade catastrophe altered the landscape in a matter of minutes.</p>
<p>In the early morning hours of Dec. 14, 2005, the AmerenUE Taum Sauk Reservoir, perched on the top of Profitt Mountain overlooking the park, breached, releasing 1.3 billion gallons of water that swept through the valley.</p>
<p>Four years later, millions in settlement money from the power company has been used to resurrect the shattered park. Visitors to the grand re-opening ceremony on May 22 will find the handsome new stone-and-timber Black River Center that tells the whole story, beginning with the volcanic formation of the surrounding St. Francois Mountains.</p>
<p>More recent history is displayed at the center by a monitor with a hand crank. Spin the crank and the monitor replays an image of the crumbling concrete walls of the reservoir, and the resulting deluge. Look out the window nearby, and you can see the path of destruction gouged on the mountainside.</p>
<p>Greg Combs, field operations supervisor for the eastern parks district of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, knows the story because he lived through it, and was in charge of the massive restoration project.</p>
<p>When he got a call on the day of the disaster, Combs immediately thought of Jerry Toops, the superintendent who lived with his family in a small frame house near the park entrance.</p>
<p>That house would be in the path of the torrent of debris-clogged water scouring the mountain. The water pushed one block of granite, as big as a van, more than a mile. And that was just one of hundreds of boulders carried by the rampaging waters.</p>
<p>“I got a call from a park ranger at the site who said the family was missing,” Combs said. “He said, ‘We can’t even find the house.’”</p>
<p>Only the basement remained.</p>
<p>In what many consider a miracle, , Toops, his wife, Lisa, and their three young children, including an infant, were found alive amid the displaced boulders, scattered trees and layers of muck that filled the valley..</p>
<p>After determining the family was safe, and relatively sound, Combs went to the park the next day. Park managers from around the state volunteered to help, and personnel searched through the rubble for the Toops’ belongings.</p>
<p>“They found all kinds of things, including some photo albums that we were able to get cleaned up,” Combs said. “And they found Lisa’s wedding dress.”</p>
<p>Combs said the outpouring of support for the Toops’ family, from staff members and the public, was a motivation in the rebuilding of the park.</p>
<p>“I said to myself, ‘We can rebuild this park, we all need to be thankful that no one lost their life in this tragic event’,” he said.</p>
<h4><strong>SAVING A SPRING</strong></h4>
<p>When Combs toured what was left of the park, he didn’t recognize the landscape.</p>
<p>“All the visual landmarks were gone,” he said. “There were so many feet of sediment, you weren’t standing at the same elevation.”</p>
<p>The monumental cleanup began, and at times had more than 100 people laboring at the park. A gigantic tub grinder, so large that it required a special permit to move on the highway, was brought in and began reducing thousands of trees to mulch.</p>
<p>At the time of the breach, the park was home to a unique natural community called a fen -- a wetlands fed by an underground spring. The constant flow of cold, mineral-laden water created a garden of unusual plants. That nine-acre area was buried under trees, silt and rubble.</p>
<p>“That’s one of the first areas we concentrated on,” Combs said. “If we didn’t get it cleaned by greenup in mid-March, we would lose the opportunity for it to recover.”</p>
<p>After the timber and rock debris was removed, workers used a large vacuum to suck up the sediment. “When we got down to the exposed root hairs, we didn’t go any further,” Combs said.</p>
<p>The delicate work paid off. On a recent four-hour tour of the restored park led by Combs, last season’s cattails were turning to fluff on the perimeter of the fen, and watercress was flourishing in the cold water. Minnows swam in the spring pool, and a single frog leaped for cover.</p>
<p>A pavilion has been built so visitors can view the fen, and witness the success story.</p>
<h4><strong>A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT</strong></h4>
<p>The East Fork of the Black River flows through the park, and over eons has eroded its channel down to the purplish volcanic rock called rhyolite. The park’s centerpiece is the shut-ins, where families have gathered for more than 100 years to play in the pools, chutes and falls of ancient stone.</p>
<p>The park is named for a Scots-Irish family that settled in the valley in 1829. St. Louisan Joseph Desloge later bought the land, and donated it for a state park in 1955.</p>
<p>After the 2005 flood, the shut-ins themselves were littered with debris, but the pinnacles and other formations withstood the beating.</p>
<p>Crews began clearing out rocks smaller than a basketball by hand. Others were blasted down to a manageable size. To remove huge underwater boulders, divers bolted cables to the rocks and used a helicopter to fly them out.</p>
<p>“The rocks had collected in the pools of the shut-ins and created underwater entrapment hazards that hands and feet could get caught in,” Combs said. “We had to get them out of there.”</p>
<p>The boardwalk leading back to the shut-ins was rebuilt, wider but with the same overlooks. Benches along the way were constructed of cedar and stone salvaged from the rubble. The boardwalk begins with a mosaic plaza, one of several in the park, that shows a collared lizard, timber rattlesnake, pileated woodpecker and other local inhabitants.</p>
<p>Upstream, the Black River had been straightened over the years by agriculture. When the streambed was recreated after the breach, bends were added to mimic the natural meanders.</p>
<p>Picnic areas now line the river along the slower, shallower portion up from the shut-ins. The area provides easier access to the river.</p>
<h4><strong>A LOOK AT ANCIENT HISTORY</strong></h4>
<p><a href="/park/johnsons-shut-ins-state-park">Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park</a> has more than 45 miles of trails.</p>
<p>One trail that has been added to the park is a 1.5-mile loop called the Scour Trail. It begins in a parking lot and heads through the woods to a pavilion overlooking the flood plain littered with boulders. Exhibits explain the scene to visitors.</p>
<p>The trail than leads up the scour carved by the rushing water in Profitt Mountain to an overlook. To the left, the rebuilt reservoir looms on the mountain’s crest like a fortress. In the distance, to the right, is the new Black River Center. In between is a 7,000-foot bare gouge down to bedrock where cottonwood and sycamore saplings are starting to grow.</p>
<p>“You never want an event like this to occur, but the scour has revealed rock that is over a billion years old,” Combs said. “You can spend an afternoon just examining the scour. It’s a new feature in the park.”</p>
<p>With exhibits on the park’s plants, animals, geology and first settlers, the visitors center also is worthy of a lengthy stop. “We had an opportunity to do something neat by showing visitors what’s out there,” Combs said. “We wanted to dangle a carrot, and get them out into the park.”</p>
<h4><strong>NEWER AND BETTER</strong></h4>
<p>The last stop on Combs’ tour was the campground, which formerly had been located next to the river in the flood plain but now has been moved across Route N to the adjacent Goggins Mountain Valley.</p>
<p>The move was made for several reasons, Combs said. It allows more room so park development no longer crowds along the newly restored river and it allows the damaged resources better conditions for recovery; the park’s original campground is now a barren field, with the replanted saplings years away from forming a canopy of shade.</p>
<p>Public sentiment was another reason for the change.</p>
<p>“We asked people how comfortable they would be camping under the upper reservoir if it was rebuilt,” Comb said. “Over 70 percent said they would be uncomfortable.”</p>
<p>The new camp sites have something for everyone: some have water, sewer and electric hookups, and some are designed for horse trailers. There’s a large site for groups and 14 platforms scattered on a wooded hillside for tent campers. Six one-bedroom camper cabins look down on Beaver Pond. State-of-the-art shower and restroom facilities are at the center of camping loops. A store with laundry area sells groceries and camping supplies. There’s even a Wi-Fi hot spot for those who want to check their e-mails.</p>
<p>Combs expects some veteran visitors may complain that the new camping area is too far from the shut-ins.</p>
<p>However, the rebuilt area has a vantage point for viewing the rebuilt reservoir, located on the far horizon.</p>
<p>“That view is a reminder,” he said. “We sure didn’t think it was going to fail in 2005, and they say it won’t fail again. But this is an earthquake zone. We often have winter campers, but on that particular night in 2005, we didn’t have anybody, thankfully.”</p>
<p>The reopened <a href="/park/johnsons-shut-ins-state-park">Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park</a> will never be the same. But in several aspects, including the visitors center, enlarged campground and riverside picnic areas, it is better. And the shut-ins, a beautiful example of nature’s sculpture, escaped unscathed.</p>
<p>“Visitors are coming to a new park, and they’re going to have mixed emotions,” Combs said. “We made a commitment to make the best of the situation. I hope they’ll give this new park a try and begin making memories that they will cherish for generations to come.”</p></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="field field-name-taxonomy-vocabulary-7 field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix">
<div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div>
<div class="field-items">
<div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/hiking" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">hiking</a></div>
<div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/swimming" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">swimming</a></div>
<div class="field-item even"><a href="/blog/tags/johnsons-shut-ins-state-park" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Johnson&#039;s Shut-Ins State Park</a></div>
<div class="field-item odd"><a href="/blog/tags/camping" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">camping</a></div>
</div>
</div>
Tue, 27 Apr 2010 20:07:48 +0000tom.uhlenbrock31150 at http://mostateparks.com